"You're leaving already? Those from the outside are always so hasty…"
"Why not stay just a little longer? Another three years couldn't hurt."
"I'm happy you guys want us to stay, but we see time a bit differently." I couldn't help but laugh as the dragons commented on our next-day departure. The things they said seemed exactly like the things one would expect to hear from members of a race so long-lived. "That said, I'm apparently supposed to have a pretty long lifespan myself, so I'm sure we'll end up coming back to hang out eventually."
"Yes, yes. I would very much like it if you did that," said Rhodunus. "You are now this village's lord. We will always welcome you with open arms."
"We shall only return once you and all the other elders have crumbled to dust," said Lefi, bitterly.
"I would… not mind that. I am sure that those who remain would be… delighted if both the Supreme Dragon and the Dragonlord were to visit."
Her displeasure meant nothing to him. He continued to laugh, even in the face of all her spite. Thinking about it, isn't this exactly what the Spirit Lord did too? I didn't realize that there were so many people out there capable of treating Lefi like some sort of foul-mouthed kid. Really goes to show that it's a big wide world out there, doesn't it?
"Thanks for all the hospitality," I said, as I materialized my wings. "It's been nice meeting you all. See ya!"
"Farewell. The final thought I will leave you with is this that you would do well to turn your gazes upon the outside world, for it has much to offer that the village does not," added Lefi.
"Bye bye," said Enne.
"Goodbye. We will be waiting… until the time you choose to return."
Once Rhodunus finished speaking, the dam broke. All sorts of different dragons shouted their regards as we flew off and put the village behind us.
***
"You know, this whole Dragonlord title didn't end up being what I thought it was," I said, as I landed in the forest. "I was thinking that it'd be to dragons what a king is to the races, but that isn't quite right. It seems a lot more like some sort of symbol or something."
"I know not the function of a king amongst the races, but your interpretation of the Dragonlord's role is not misguided," she said, as she landed next to me. "The Dragonlord does not serve to rule over our kind."
The position was one that always had to be filled, but that didn't mean that the Dragonlord had to be in charge of making the decisions. My crown was entirely figurative. I wasn't actually necessarily in a traditional position of power. I wasn't able to order people around like the Demon King, nor was I made a part of some sort of royal lineage, like the Allysian king.
That said, it wasn't like I was completely powerless. There was still a special something associated with the title, given that it made it so that most dragons were willing to lend me an ear, even if they were capable of easily crushing me underfoot. In that sense, the Dragonlord certainly wasn't just a figurehead. There was definitely another element to it, albeit not one I necessarily understood.
Spending a night in Drakenstead had taught me that draconic society was much more mature than any other that I'd seen in this world so far. Persisting for hundreds of thousands of years had led it to slowly advance, no doubt in part due to the long life that each individual led. That wasn't to say that they were a more advanced civilization. They barely had any sort of technology. Most of the steps that they'd taken forward were social in nature.
As the race was powerful, individual members didn't have to worry about constantly putting their lives at risk. This meant that they had more spare time and were less likely to be belligerent or believe in doctrines enforced by violence. The effect compounded on itself over time, and each generation grew slightly more peaceful than the last. The ever compounding aversion to barbarism eventually caused their culture to shift in a way that embraced peace and stability over violent conflict. It certainly was a more stagnant way of life, as Lefi would've put it, and it explained why younger dragons had the tendency to leave. But even so, the fact remained that their society had progressed far beyond any other.
"So what's with the whole going on a rampage after they told you to become the Dragonlord thing anyway?"
"It is simple. I merely had no intention of allowing them to push the responsibility of the role upon me."
She had a point. I had ended up becoming the Dragonlord purely as a result of happenstance. It wasn't the type of position that I would've ever sought out on my own accord.
"I did not find this visit as enjoyable as you did," she continued after taking a moment to frown. "I still cannot find myself feeling fond of Drakenstead, nor the manner in which the ancient ones schemed to push their responsibilities upon you after learning that you dealt with Gyogarr."
"I get where you're coming from, but I don't really mind. It seems like they only decided to ask me to help after thinking it through and deciding it was the best choice available."
It wasn't that they didn't want to act.
They couldn't.
Because the destruction would extend far beyond just dragonkind. The world as it was currently known would vanish altogether. Allowing some random young dragon to go on a series of mindless rampages was ultimately less destructive than having an older dragon retrieve them, even for the outsiders that suffered from the younger dragon's attacks. Because an all-out fight between two dragons incapable of holding back their power would level much, much more than just a city.
Of course, that wasn't all. It seemed that the older dragons also hoped that the younger ones would be able to use the opportunity to gain some life experience and grow up. The outside world was sure to provide them more opportunities to mature than the insular, tight-knit community that was Drakenstead. Might be a bit of a nuisance for the races, but I guess that isn't really the dragons' problem, huh?
Even with that said, leaving the younger dragons unsupervised and entirely to their own devices wasn't exactly the best idea, hence why Rhodunus had stepped up and asked me to play a role in keeping the peace.
"Hmph. If you are so keen on taking Rhodunus' side, then you may as well leave us and name Drakenstead your new home," huffed Lefi. Evidently, she wasn't satisfied with my thoughts on the matter.
"Master, no. Bad," scolded Enne, telepathically.
"So first of all, don't worry, Enne, I'm not going anywhere. Secondly, Lefi, why the hell are you acting like I'm some sort of spoiled kid, and you're my mother?"
'Cause I'm pretty sure that's exactly what mothers say when their children refuse to leave amusement parks and whatnot.
"Hmph…" She scoffed, then quickly changed the topic. "Were you not going to test the spear's abilities? Was that not why we landed?" The dragon crossed her arms. "I will keep watch to ensure that you are not put in harm's way. Get it over with quickly so that we may return home."
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
The only reason we hadn't teleported straight home was because I needed to test the spear. We'd chosen a forest a bit away from Drakenstead as opposed to the Wicked Forest as a safety precaution, as we had absolutely no idea how destructive the weapon really was. And with Lefi around, I'm pretty sure everything'll be fine even if something goes wrong.
"Mmmmnnnn… It's strong." As predicted, retrieving the spear was enough to cause Enne, who had personified after scolding me, to grumble. "But I have to make sure. That it's really worth being one of your weapons."
"Thanks Enne," I said, as I handed her real body to Lefi. "I'm going to be trusting your judgement here, since you're probably going to be able to make much more sense of it than Lefi is."
I hadn't actually ever used a spear before, so I decided to start with the basics. I guess that would probably be a thrust, in a spear's case, right?
"Here goes!" After taking up the sort of stance one would normally see in a movie or martial arts series, I drove the bony weapon through the air.
"…"
"…"
And though we waited for a good few seconds, the heavens remained undivided, the earth didn't quake, and no seas were torn asunder.
"…Nothing happened." Eventually, Enne broke the silence with a rather "astute" observation.
"I failed to sense any magical effects," added Lefi. "Perhaps the lack of a target renders the weapon inert…"
"Hmmm… I guess I'll try hitting something then."
I replicated the exact same sequence of actions, but this time jabbed the spear into a nearby tree as opposed just swinging it through the air.
"…Nothing happened," repeated Enne.
"Nothing indeed…" said Lefi.
But again, there was little of note. The blade pierced the trunk, but that was about it. I would've been able to inflict more damage with a random store-bought kitchen knife. I mean, sure, I'm lacking exspearience, but it's not all my fault. The weapon isn't really amounting to much either…
I highly doubted that the weapon was supposed to do nothing. The intense pressure emanating from it proved that there was more to the weapon than met the eye, and that I was failing to draw out even a fraction of its true potential.
"Master. Try using mana."
While one of my companions was staring blankly with her head tilted in confusion, the other seemed to have an idea in mind.
"What do you mean? Should I try channeling it through the spear or something?"
"Mhm. I think it'll activate. If you give it mana."
I guess it would make sense to treat it like it's enchanted, huh? Alright, here goes…
"Woah! What the!?"
I'd only intended on giving it the tiniest bit of my magic, but the spear was having none of that. It began sucking out my mana uncontrollably. Every drop it took led it to grow longer, thicker, and more ornate. Only after consuming half my total did it finally stop.
The crude, dark material had turned a beautiful shade of gold, while its blade grew several times in length, turning the weapon into something that more closely resembled a halberd or naginata than a spear. Its dull edge, now fatally sharp, had turned translucent, and seemed to be wrapped in a sort of mysterious energy. I'm guessing this is its true form.
"H-hey, Lefi, is this thing safe? It's kinda freaking me out. The aura's so scary I think I'm gonna shit myself."
Even the simple act of holding the weapon left me drenched in cold sweat. It was giving off way more energy than it had been in its more dormant state.
"You do not need to worry. Give it a swing," she said. "I will ensure that you remain safe no matter the circumstance."
"I-If you say so…"
Again, I repeated the same set of actions. I took up stance and jabbed the weapon into a nearby tree. Or at least tried to.
My failure stemmed not from my incompetence, but rather, the fact that the part of the tree that I'd tried stabbing had suddenly ceased to exist. Everything in a thin, speartip shaped and sized line behind it had been obliterated without a trace.
Nothing had been pierced. Nor destroyed. But obliterated.
It was as if it'd all been straight up removed, deleted from this very plane of existence.
"T-That was supposed to be a light jab…"
My initial attack had covered about fifteen meters, but feedback I'd felt informed me that I could've very easily extended the area of effect by simply thrusting with more force. I didn't even need to swing the weapon to know that a sweeping attack would be capable of obliterating everything in my vicinity.
"…It is quite the fearsome weapon indeed," said Lefi, after a brief shocked pause. "It appears capable of easily cutting through even my scales."
"Seriously…?
Doesn't that mean that there's literally nothing capable of defending against this thing? The most terrifying part of it all was that I could tell there was more to the divine weapon than what I had already demonstrated. It seemed to contain some sort of will within it. It wasn't like Enne, however, as the will didn't quite seem to take the form of a conscious being. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it seemed inorganic, repulsive even. Unlike pre-sword Enne, the weapon wasn't trying to take control of me. It was trying to consume me whole.
"Mmmrphh…" The sword groaned right as the comparison passed through my mind. "Stronger than me."
"Enne… Do not seek what the Divine Spear possesses. That… is not strength, but something else entirely," warned Lefi, with a sharp gaze. "And Yuki, I would not advise using it unless you have no other choice."
"Agreed. This thing freaks me out, so I'm probably going to keep it in the closet unless push really comes to shove."
It was, without a doubt, the most ridiculously overpowered weapon I'd ever held, seen, or heard of, but I had no intention of using it. It didn't feel like the sort of thing one could casually swing around, but rather the sort of weapon that required inhuman resolve and determination to wield. You know that famous saying that all the edgelords love? "If you stare into the abyss, it stares back?" Yeah, that's the kinda feeling this gives me. There's something sinister lurking inside of this thing, something I'm better off never seeing.
"That would be for the best…" She frowned. "Rhodunus has truly given you something absurd…"
"I know, right? This thing's so ridiculous it probably really will let me take dragons head on."
I suspected that the human who had become Dragonlord had achieved everything he had precisely because he had the necessary resolve and whatnot to swing this weapon around without suffering the consequences. I, however, wasn't him and lacked the necessary qualifications. I doubt I'm ever going to be cornered enough to need it anyway.
Enne was the only weapon I needed. Every other weapon I acquired was going to be relegated to playing the role of a sidearm at best.
Though I had yet to confirm all the weapon's functions, I decided that testing it out was too dangerous, so I shoved it back into my inventory for safekeeping.
"Whew…" I wiped the sweat off my brow. "I knew checking out ahead of time would be a good idea. Definitely wouldn't have been pretty if I randomly decided to pull it out and test it in the middle of a fight…"
"If you remained unaware of its striking range, you may have accidentally bisected one of our pets alongside your target."
"Yeah… Anyway, now that that's done, let's go home. I'm kinda tired, and I'm really feeling the urge to hop in the bath and kick back."
"Mhm… Me too. The hot spring is nice. I like the waterfall."
"It certainly is quite the notable addition. You said Nell was responsible for it?"
"Yeah, she's the one that rolled it," I said. "I love how big it is, makes getting in a lot more enticing."
"…Baths are amazing. Getting in with Illuna is fun," said Enne. "Today, I'll wash you two. When we get home."
"That is something I will be looking forward to," said Lefi. "And I shall ensure that you are also well washed in turn."
Once we each declared our intentions, the three of us poured our energies through the warp crystals that I'd handed out and returned to the dungeon we called home.